The Cornell defense readies for a play against Georgetown during Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 5, 2019 at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y.
Madison Epperson/Cornell Athletics

Football Looks For First Win At Harvard Since 2000

Freshman Jake Stebbins makes one of his 10 tackles against Georgetown on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019 at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y.
The Cornell defense ranks among the national leaders in nearly every category.

Cornell Big Red (1-2, 0-1)
at Harvard Crimson (2-1, 1-0) 
 

Oct. 12, 2019 • 1:00 p.m.
Cambridge, Mass. • Harvard Stadium (22,000) 
Harvard leads the series 47-34-2
Cornell won last meeting 28-24 on Oct. 6, 2018 in Ithaca, N.Y.

Game Links 
Video Stream • Live Stats • Purchase Tickets
Cornell Game Notes • Harvard Game Notes
Cornell Roster • Cornell Schedule & Results • Cornell Stats
Harvard Roster • Harvard Schedule & Results • Harvard Stats

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS 
• The Cornell football team will attempt to post its first three-game win streak over Harvard in two decades when the Big Red and the Crimson meet on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 1:00 p.m. at Harvard Stadium. 
• Alex Vispoli, Ben Altsher and Kevin Gehl will be on the broadcast call on ESPN+.  
• Cornell enters the weekend with a 1-2 record after opening the season with a 21-7 win at Marist before dropping contests to preseason Ivy League favorite Yale (27-16) and 4-1 Georgetown (14-8). 
• The Big Red defense has been sensational over its last four games dating back to last season, surrendering just five offensive touchdowns, 274.5 yards per game and 101.5 rushing yards on 2.6 yards per carry (154-406) over that stretch. 
• Cornell and Harvard both rank among the top 10 teams nationally in rushing defense (Harvard sixth, Cornell 10th) and in the top 25 in total defense (Cornell sixth, Harvard 22nd). 
• Harvard’s balance on offense will test the Big Red defense, as the Crimson rank 31st in rushing, 32nd in passing and most importantly, third in scoring (42.3 ppg.). 
• The Big Red defense, ranked No. 1 nationally in red zone defense, will meet a Harvard team that stands second in red zone offense. 
• On offense, senior All-Ivy running back Harold Coles in second in the Ancient Eight and sixth nationally in rushing yards per game (111.0 ypg.).  

LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK 
• This year’s version of the Big Red returns 14 starters (six offense, eight defense), as well as its punter, placekicker, long-snapper and return specialists from a year ago.  
• Cornell went 3-7 in 2018 with a pair of league losses to top-half teams by less than a touchdown (Yale, Columbia).  
• The Big Red defeated Harvard for the second straight season for the first time since 1999 and 2000, and hammered previously unbeaten Sacred Heart at home, 43-24.  
• Cornell rallied from a double-digit deficit at Brown for a 34-16 victory, the Big Red’s first win in Providence, R.I. since 2002 and its first consecutive victories over the Bears since 1993 - before any current member of the team was born.  
• Cornell’s seven losses came against teams that sported a cumulative 53-21 record, including four to nationally ranked opponents (Colgate, Delaware, Princeton and Dartmouth).  
• Colgate reached the national quarterfinals and Delaware earned a spot in the FCS Playoffs, while Princeton went undefeated (10-0) and joined fellow Ivy rival Dartmouth (9-1) in the final top 25 poll.  
• Cornell also faced seven of the nation’s top 20 defenses, but still had its most successful season running the ball since 2006 (156.1 yards per game).  
• Six Big Red players earned All-Ivy honors, with Harold Coles (RB) and David Jones (CB) both finding a spot on the second team.  
• The Cornell football team was picked to finish seventh in the Ivy League’s annual preseason poll.  
• For the fourth times in five seasons, the Big Red will look to surpass the prediction from the poll.  
• After being picked to place eighth in 2017, the Big Red finished tied for fifth and entered November in the thick of the Ivy race for the first time since 2000.  
• The Big Red was chosen to finish eighth in 2016, then started the year 3-0 and took sixth in the final league standings.  
• The year before it was eighth in the poll and didn’t end there either.  
• The 2017 season saw Cornell climb to fifth in the Ivy standings at 3-4 and was in contention for the Ivy title in November for the first time since 2000.  
• The team’s three Ivy wins were the most since 2011 and tied for the best Ivy record by the program in more than a decade.  
• With seven more wins, Cornell would reach 650 all-time (13th all-time in FCS history).  
• With four consecutive wins at Schoellkopf Field to end its season, the Big Red would close out 300 all-time victories at the historic facility, the fourth-oldest FCS stadium (opened in 1915). Only Penn’s Franklin Field (1895), Harvard Stadium (1903) and the Yale Bowl (1914) are older.  

David Archer '05 

The Roger J. Weiss '61 Head Coach of Football

• Seventh season directing the Big Red football program. 
• Became youngest Division I head football coach in the country when he was named the Roger J. Weiss ‘61 Head Coach of Football on Jan. 3, 2013. 
• The 2017 season saw Cornell in contention for the Ivy title in November for the first time since 2000. 
• That team’s three Ivy wins were the most since 2011 and tied for the best Ivy record by the program in more than a decade. 
• Led team to three-game improvement in 2016, tied for program’s biggest turnaround since 1986. 
• Spent six seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, including the last four seasons as the recruiting coordinator. 
• Coached the fullbacks, tight ends, running backs, offensive linemen and linebackers during his tenure as an assistant. 
• Has developed 36 All-Ivy selections, two Ivy league Rookies of the Year, two Academic All-Americans and four FCS All-Americans in six years as head coach.

Head coach David Archer walks the sidelines during a 2017 win over Harvard.
Head coach David Archer '05

ABOUT HARVARD
• Harvard enters the contest with a 2-1 record (1-0 Ivy) after a dominant 62-17 win over Howard last weekend at home. 
• Since halftime of its season-opening loss at San Diego, the Crimson has outscored opponents 127-31. 
• Harvard ranks in the top 25 nationally in both total offense (18th, 453.3 ypg.) and total defense (22nd, 336.3 ypg.) and ranks third nationally in scoring offense (42.3 ppg.). 
• Quarterback Jake Smith has been dynamic with eight touchdown passes and 737 yards over three games, but it has been a running attack averaging 189.7 yards that has ruled game day. 
• Devin Darrington has a team-high 277 yards and four touchdowns, while Aidan Borguet and DeMarkes Stradford also have two rushing touchdowns and are combining to average better than eight yards per carry. 
• Jack Cook (13 receptions, 233 yards, two touchdowns) and Cody Chrest (11 receptions, 151 yards, two touchdowns lead a receiving corps that has 14 players who have already caught a pass this season. 
• The defense ranks sixth nationally against the run (74.7 ypg.) with sophomore defensive lineman Truman Jones dominating with 6.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. 
• Head coach Tim Murphy is in his 26th season directing the Harvard program.  
• He has won 176 games on the Crimson sidelines (second all-time among Ivy League coaches) with nine conference titles. 
• Since 2001, Harvard (.784) ranks second in the FCS in winning percentage, behind only North Dakota State (.817). 

THE SERIES 
• Cornell and Harvard will be meeting for the 84th time dating back to the first meeting in 1890. 
• Harvard leads the all-time series 47-34-2. 
• The Crimson owned the early series, capturing the first 10 games (1890-1913), while Cornell 11 won straight from 1986-1996.  
• Harvard has won 15 of the last 18 contests, though the Big Red has won two straight — both in Ithaca — and snapped the Crimson’s 11-game win streak in the process. 

A WIN OVER HARVARD WOULD ... 
• make Cornell 2-2 to start the season. 
• even the Big Red’s Ivy League record at 1-1. 
• cut the Crimson’s lead in the all-time series to 47-35-2. 
• give Cornell a 310-241-14 (.561) record all-time in the month of October. 
• be the 644th in program history (13th-most in the Football Championship Subdivision).

Jelani Taylor, left, and Michael Irons make a tackle during the Cornell football team's Homecoming game against Georgetown on Oct. 5, 2019 at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y. (Patrick Shanahan/Cornell Athletics)
The Cornell defense makes a stop against Georgetown during its Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019 at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y. Georgetown won the game 14-8.

LAST TIME OUT: Georgetown 14, Cornell 8
Oct. 5, 2019 I Ithaca, N.Y.
GAME STORY I BOX SCORE I BEYOND THE BOX SCORE I GALLERY I HIGHLIGHTS I FEATURE VIDEO

• Harold Coles’ rushing touchdown to close out the third quarter helped the Cornell football team draw even against a tough Georgetown squad, but the Hoyas pulled back ahead for good on a touchdown with 5:43 on the clock to spoil the Big Red’s Homecoming game with a 14-8 victory at Schoellkopf Field. 
• Once again, the Cornell defense turned in a staunch effort, holding Georgetown to 117 yards on the ground and 301 overall.  
• Freshman linebacker Jake Stebbins led the way with 10 tackles and a sack.  
• The Big Red defense also had a hand in setting up the team’s scoring drive by pinning the Hoyas deep in their own territory before forcing a punt and a short field for the offense. 
• Two plays later, Coles’ 20-yard rush up the middle was followed by a Mike Catanese completion to John Fitzgerald, setting up Cornell in the red zone.  
• Two Catanese keepers – the second on fourth down – were needed to get one yard and set up first-and-goal from the 5, then Coles rumbled in with zeroes on the game clock to cut Cornell’s deficit to 8-6.  
• Delonte Harrell took a pitch and beat everyone to the right pylon for the two-point conversion, knotting the teams at 8-8 heading into the final 15 minutes. 
• Neither team got out of its own territory for the first half of the fourth quarter, but a 23-yard punt return by Joshua Tomas set up Georgetown at its own 47 with 6:29 to play.  
• Three plays later from the Cornell 39, Gunther Johnson unfurled a deep pass up the middle to a wide-open Cameron Crayton – but the ball was underthrown.  
• Crayton slowed down and the ball went just beyond the fingertips of a retreating defender, then he scampered into the end zone for the game-deciding score.  
• Coles led the Big Red rushing attack with 65 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.  
• Catanese ended his day 15-of-22 passing for 112 yards, hitting seven different receivers.  
• Senior punter Nickolas Null averaged 42.9 yards on eight punts with three downed inside the 20.  
• Six different defensive players had at least five tackles, the defense had seven tackles for loss and three sacks and caused a turnover.

Cornell football players line up for practice during the 1938 season, a moment to remember during college football's 150th season.
Members of the 1938 Big Red team practice for an upcoming game.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL AT 150 (#CFB150) 
• This is the 133rd year since the start of Cornell football, but it will be the 132nd season.  
• The first official Big Red football team was formed in 1887, and Cornell has sponsored a squad every year since except 1918 during World War I.  
• The Big Red has collected five national titles (1915, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1939), won more than 600 games and  has  had  legendary  players  and  coaches  perform  on  historic Schoellkopf Field.  
• The Big Red claimed at least a share of the 1915 (Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, National Championship Foundation and Parke Davis), 1921 (Helms, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation and Parke Davis), 1922 (Helms, Parke Davis), 1923 (Sagarin) and 1939 (Litkenhous, Sagarin) titles.  
• Cornell is the only Ivy League school to be ranked No. 1 in the weekly Associated Press poll, holding the top ranking for three weeks (10/15-10/29) of the 1940 season.  
• The No. 1 ranking ended with the historic “Fifth Down Game” against Dartmouth.  
• Names such as Glenn “Pop” Warner and Heisman Trophy finalist and NCAA record breaker Ed Marinaro have suited up for  Cornell,  while  seven  College  Football  Hall  of  Famers  (including Warner,  Gil  Dobie  and  Carl  Snavely)  and  multiple-time  Super  Bowl  winner  George  Seifert  have  set  the  strategy  as  head  coaches.  
• The Big Red is involved in three of the top 20 most-played rivalries in the FCS.  
• The Cornell-Penn series ranks fifth in most games played, a total that will reach 126 this season.  
• The 106 meetings between Cornell and Columbia ranks 14th, while the Cornell-Dartmouth rivalries stand 19th with 102 games played.  
• Right behind that is the series with Princeton (101 meetings) and Colgate (100 meetings), which sit right outside the top 20.  
• The Cornell-Dartmouth and the Cornell-Penn series are the second-longest uninterrupted active series, as the teams have met every season since 1919, a span of 99 years.  
• They trail only the Lafayette-Lehigh series, which has been played every year since 1897.  
• Cornell was ranked as one of the top 100 football programs of all-time according to the Associated Press in a ranking released in August 2016.
• At No. 72, the Big Red ranked ahead of a number of Bowl Championship Subdivision (BCS) schools and second among Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) programs.
• Only Penn (No. 66) placed higher among current FCS schools, while other Ivy League teams on the list included Dartmouth (No. 87), Yale (No. 90), Princeton (No. 81) and Columbia (No. 99). 
• Cornell was involved in one of the most historic games in college football history, the “Fifth Down Game.” 
• Played on Nov. 16, 1940 in Hanover, N.H., the top-ranked Big Red improved to 6-0 with a 7-3 victory over Dartmouth, scoring on the game’s final play. 
• After reviewing game film on Monday, Coach Carl Snavely and acting athletic director Robert J. Kane wired Dartmouth officials to tell them Cornell scored on an inadvertent fifth down. 
• Though there were no rules compelling the outcome to be changed, in an unprecedented act of sportsmanship, the Big Red relinquished claims to the win.  
• The Big Green accepted the forfeit, winning the contest 3-0. 
• It remains the only time a collegiate sporting contest has been decided off the field after the completion of a game.  

CORNELL FOOTBALL AT 132 (#CFB150) 
• The Big Red has an overall record of 643-530-34 (.547) in its 132 years of football.  
• The program’s 643 wins rank 13th among all FCS schools.  
• Over the years, Cornell has taken on 91 different opponents, with its most frequent opponent being Penn (125 meetings).  

BIG RED NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 
• Cornell holds claim to five national titles in its storied football history.  
• The Big Red claimed at least a share of the 1915 (Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, National Championship Foundation and Parke Davis), 1921 (Helms, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation and Parke Davis), 1922 (Helms, Parke Davis), 1923 (Sagarin) and 1939 (Litkenhous, Sagarin) titles.  
• All five teams went undefeated and dominated their opponents.  
• The 1915 team was 9-0 and outscored its opponents 287-50 with four shutouts.  
• The 1921, 1922 and 1923 squads each went 8-0 and outscored their opponents 392-21, 339-27 and 320-33, respectively.  
• The teams allowed more than one touchdown in a game just once during that 24-game span while scoring 40 or more points 14 times.  
• The 1939 team was 8-0 and defeated Syracuse, Penn State and Ohio State.

Longtime assistant coach Pete DeStefano roams the sidelines in a game against Harvard on Oct., 7, 2017 at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y. The Big Red defeated the Crimson 17-14.
Pete DeStefano is in his 30th year on the sidelines for Cornell football.

DeSTEFANO ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT 
• Pete DeStefano, the longest tenured assistant football coach in Cornell history, has announced that he will retire after the completion of the 2019 season, his 30th on the Big Red sidelines.
• A constant on the sidelines for the Big Red since 1990 on the defensive side of the ball, he coached or recruited 36 All-Ivy League players during his tenure. 
• He is currently in the seventh year as the program's first Director of Player Personnel, Alumni, Community and Career Programs. 
• His role is instrumental in the off-field development of Cornell's student-athletes from the time they reach campus until long after they graduate as alumni and fans of the Big Red.  

HOLM, TAYLOR NAMED CO-CAPTAINS 
• Seniors George L. Holm III and Jelani Taylor will serve as team captains for the 2019 season. 
• The duo will provide steadying leadership as college football celebrates its 150th season this fall.
• Holm, a 6-4 offensive lineman from Richmond, Va., emerged as a starter late in the 2018 season and saw action in each of the team's 10 contests to earn his first varsity letter. 
• Holm helped the Big Red rush for 1,561 yards and 13 touchdowns, the most rushing yards in a season since 2006 (1,821). 
• Taylor, a 5-11 safety from Beecher, Mich., was a first-team academic all-district selection after leading the team in tackles (72) and passes defended (nine) a year ago. 

The Cornell Big Red football captains George Holm (67) and Jelani Taylor (23) pose for portraits on Aug. 19, 2019 on Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, NY.
George L. Holm III and Jelani Taylor are the 2019 Big Red football captains.

FOOTBALL GETS NCAA RECOGNITION (AGAIN)
• Football has been publicly recognized by the NCAA for its Academic Progress Report (APR) score being in the top 10 percent nationally in 13 of the 14 seasons since 2004-05, when the scores were first tabulated.  
• Cornell’s score of 987 (out of 1,000) this past year was tied for the fourth-highest in school history (the seven highest scores in program history have come over the last seven years - 987, 987, 986, 991, 988, 992, 987), but was just outside the top 10 percent. 
• The 992 APR score this year is also the 25th-highest among all Division I football schools. 
• The APR measures semester-by-semester records for every individual team in Division I with regard to each team members’ continuing eligibility, retention and progress toward graduation. 

ACADEMIC SUCCESS 
• Cornell football had two players named to the 2018 CoSIDA Academic All-District 1 team. 
• Harold Coles ‘20 (3.48 GPA, Applied Economics & Management) and Jelani Taylor ‘20 (3.85 GPA, Hotel Administration) were both selected to represent the Big Red. 
• Cornell’s 10 members on the District 2 team over the last three years are the most of any school. 
• The Big Red has had 13 football players earn a total of 18 appearances on the CoSIDA Academic All-America team dating back to 1977. 

CORNELLIANS IN THE NFL 
• Seventh-year offensive lineman JC Tretter ‘13 will be beginning his third season with the Cleveland Browns after spending his first four pro seasons with the Green Bay Packers. 
• The FCS All-American was taken in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Packers in 2013. 
• He was named the Packers’ starting center in 2016 and played in 31 contests with 10 starts. 
• Has seen action at both tackle spots and left guard as well as at center during his career. 

CORNELLIANS IN PRO FOOTBALL 
• Kevin Boothe ‘05 – TitleDirector, Football Development and Strategy, NFL. 
• Buck Briggs ‘76 – Vice President for Arbitration and Litigation, NFL (Retired). 
• Zac Canty ‘09 – Northeast Area Scout, Arizona Cardinals 
• Andrew Johnson ‘15 – Scout, Cincinnati Bengals 
• Jeff Mathews ‘14 – QB, Toronto Argonauts, CFL 
• Ty Siam ‘11 – Football Operations Analyst, New York Giants 
• Luke Tasker ‘13 – WR, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, CFL 

CORNELL, IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL FEATURED ON ESPN+ 
• ESPN+ is ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer offering.
• Similar to Netflix and Hulu, fans are able to buy a subscription to ESPN+, which will be completely separate from their cable/satellite bill.
• The cost for ESPN+ is $4.99/month and $49.95/year.
• ESPN+ is available on all of ESPN’s existing platforms: Website, mobile app, OTT (Apple TV/Roku) app.

ESPN+ Ad Sidearm 2019

CORNELL ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME ADDS FORD '09 
• Nathan Ford ‘09 was among 10 new members that were inducted into the Cornell University Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 5.  
• Ford captained both the football and baseball teams, earning All-Ivy League honors in both sports.  
• He was an honorable mention All-Ivy pick as a senior.  
• The three-year starter at quarterback led the Ivy League in both passing (281.5 yards per game) and total offense (284.9 yards per game), ranking 12th and eighth nationally in those categories, respectively, in his final season.  
• Set school records for completion percentage in a career (.607), consecutive completions (17) and single-game completion percentage (.833, 25-of-30 vs. Dartmouth).  
• Ford had four career 300-yard games and two 400-yard efforts, including a 39-of-63 passing day for 438 yards and two scores in the comeback win at Lehigh, finding teammate Jesse Baker in the end zone from 20 yards out as time expired to win the game.  
• His 6,266 passing yards ranked eighth in Ivy history and second at Cornell, while his 6,707 yards of offense places him ninth in the Ancient Eight.  
• Ford accounted for 37 career touchdowns (26 passing, 11 rushing). 

NEXT UP 
• The Big Red will kick off a three-game home stand when it welcomes Central New York rival Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 1:30 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. 
• Cornell will attempt to win its 50th game against the Raiders (49-48-3), the defending Patriot League champs who advanced to the FCS quarterfinals. 
• The game will be the team’s final non-conference contest before playing its final five games against Ivy opponents. 

Photos by Madison Epperson, Eldon Lindsay, Patrick Shanahan, Gil Talbot and Darl Zehr

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